The First Moments of the Rest of Your Life
by Kyuumaster6000
Summary: To say that the First Spinjitzu Master's done a lot, seen it all and made more than he's ever imagined is an understatement. And yet...and yet he can't help but hope to be more to be more than just a creator. He wants a family, one that won't tear each other to shreds. It's a nice dream, but learning how to make it a reality, well, "It takes a village", am I right?


Gently, the man held the small bundles of squirming blankets close, if a little awkwardly. He could already start to feel the sands of time weigh down on him. He had used the two core elements he still possessed, the indomitable forces that had always tried to pull him apart, to create to new beings entirely. He had no idea which one of them, if either, had inherited which powers. Perhaps they combined together harmoniously, perhaps they were completely average, albeit long lived mortals.

"Be careful..." Mystaké cautioned him, voice soft and low for fear of disturbing the children.

He handled them like priceless, fragile works of art, because that's exactly what they were. As he watched the bundles, feeling their soft breathing matching up with his own, his mind was brought to how exactly these two had wound up in his arms.

After battle it evil forces, creating a Realm, befriending Mystaké, and giving up all but the two Core elements, Creation and Destruction, he noticed that the people of the land grew and changed. They created family's full of parents and children, nephews and aunts, great grand parents and so on. He as had observed them, he gradually began to recall what his family was like, if you could call it one. His heart ached when he saw fathers and mothers holding their children in warm hugs only for the children to wriggle out of them mischievously, the way they giggled and played and grew. Eventually he came to realize that, while he had created a place for wandering people from other realms could come and make their home, a home was made with good friends and family. He wanted a family, but not one that would tear each other apart. One that would encourage, one that would truly love each other.

The Master knew nothing of how one started a family, however. Every time he broached the subject, people would usually start talking about marriage and spouses. This puzzled him. He had always created by himself. Why should this be any different?

He had made the Serpentine, but they had their own families. He honestly did not like talking about to creation of a species as if he was their, well, deity? Some referred to him like that. He had spent enough of his life on a pedestal and had never really liked it. He was happy for the Serpentine, that they had grown into such a diverse and vibrant culture, but he often feared that giving them the knowledge of the truth of their creation had left some unsettling ideas in some of their minds.

And so he had contacted the only person he knew in this world that knew exactly what kind of a being he really was. Sharing the lineage of the Oni, he had hoped that Mystaké would give him some insight as to how Oni multiply. She had gawked at the question then raised her eyebrows so high, he was positive she had been using her shapeshifting powers. He waited politely for her to reply, still smiling pleasantly.

Now, as it turned out Oni could not, in fact, reproduce, being creatures of pure Destruction and the creation things are an impossibility by their nature. So what they had done was siphon off a bit of themselves, such as blood, hair, bits of their horns, and let that grow into an entirely separate entity. Mystaké even admitted that her assistant was something similar to this.

"Really?" The master gave an encouraging smile to the child who was pouring their wears for the three of them over the tea peddler's cart.

"Yup!" She patted him of the head as they pushed the glasses up their nose nervously. "This little cup-o-clam is what you would call a homunculus. Can turn into plenty of objects, but nothing living."

"Ah, they have your powers?" The master looked slightly concerned at this.

"Weeeell... see, Munc here isn't a full Oni. I made sure of that. None of that doom and gloom nonsense. Doesn't need it, the little rascal!" She affectionately ruffled the top of their head again, which wad hidden by a lilac hood. "I was really playing a lot of it by ear. Using a bit of alchemy for this and a tad of magic for that. In the end when they were done, they were perfect. Doesn't have a voice though."

Munc made sure no one was watching before they into a piece of paper, which folded into itself to make a very happy looking origami crane. The fluttered around for a while then returned to their more human form and silently giggled.

"As you can see, we have no problem communicating." The tea peddler gave a chuckle before facing her old friend once more, her face dropping into a serious expression. "But whatever you want to make using, well, a bit of this" - her eyes glowed bright pink for a second - "and a bit of that," - she then indicated the cart that were speaking over - "well, I don't know what'll come out of it. I really can't tell with special cases like you."

The master considered this. A part of himself...

His mind was brought back to the present by Mystaké's reminders of the things they had learned during their travels to retrieve the right ingredients for the ritual- no that did not sound right. Ceremony? Whatever it was called when one uses alchemy and the two Core elements to create life. They had to do it twice at any rate, The Master had been insistent on that.

"Remember what we've learned. They are very delicate. Support their heads but don't grip them."

The man continued to stare. All the thoughts and memories that had been racing through his mind seemed to have been eclipsed when he looked at their small forms. They appeared to be resting. After a moment, which felt like several sunlit-filled days, he felt as though he should say something.

"I thought they would be...bigger?"

"They grow. You did too once long ago."

"Yes, I remember that." He had not taken his eyes off the bundles, cradling them more naturally as he became used to the motion. Only their faces were visible, peaking through the blankets as they adjusted themselves into more comfortable positions. The elder's eyes opened to reveal a pair of deep, dark eyes, while the younger one's were wide and full of awe. His sons burbled and cooed happily.

Emboldened by this, he inquired very softly: "Do you have names, young ones?"

"Oh, sweet elements, that's not how-" the tea peddler stopped as one of the bundles began to coo with much more purpose, obviously trying to to imitate the man holding him.

"Gah-ma-dunns?"

"Ah! Well it's very nice to meet you, Garmadon!" He said delightedly to the older one. To the younger of the twins he asked just as softly and patiently. "And you?"

"Wuuu!" Although throughly bundled, the lighter eyed one managed to get an arm free and swing it around enthusiastically.

"It's very nice to meet you too Wu!" The Master was beaming. He looked up at his friend, lights dancing in his eyes.

Mystaké debated with herself. Should she tactfully remain silent and just give him an approving nod? She grimaced then went for it anyway.

"Those are, interesting, names, but are you positive that nothing else comes to mind?"

"They already told me who they are."

"They might need more than just the sounds they made when you first spoke to them." She said flatly and honestly.

He contemplated this. "Very well." He turned to Garmadon "You are Garmadon Demik, and you," he addressed Wu "are Wu Montgomery. Very mortal names, don't you think?" He asked them earnestly. The babies had gone back to wriggling and looking around. "Perfect!" He beamed again. He couldn't stop beaning now, even if he tried.

She sighed, leaning against the door frame. He had always been an odd one, to be sure. Who knows how odd these little troublemakers would be. Odd was relative, anyway, and in this case that was quite literal.

He tuned his attention back down to his sons and adjusted them so that each could see the other more clearly.

"Garmadon, this is your little brother, Wu. Wu, this is Garmadon."

The babies stared at one another, alit with curiosity and an innocent wonder.

"Mystake, look. Look! They already love each other!" Tears were already flowing down the new parent's cheeks. They would never be alone, like he had been all those years ago. They would be the best of friends, he could feel it, and live their days in peace in this paradise he and so many others had worked so hard to create and to protect. No wars! No battles! Just the two of them enjoying the wonder of this colorful, harmonic world!

As he reviled in pride and hope, Wu's free arm moved forward unexpectedly as the younger twin wanted to get ahold of the older's tuft of dark hair poking out above his face. Startled by this, Garmadon began to cry and, in a moment later, so was Wu.

Mystake righted herself and approached her friend to give him a consoling pat on the back, while he was fretting over the pair.

"Welp!" She said. "It's a start."

Just as he got them to quiet down by rocking them, a sudden rumble of feet heralded the arrival of at least four of their allies. The Elemental Masters burst into the room, a few even toppling over one another in their haste.

"MASTER! We just got the news! YOUR'RE a FATHER?!"

The newborns shared an instinctual look of confusion with their parent before they resumed chewing on their fingers and wriggling.

"What is a 'father'?" He asked, nonplused.

"And that's my cue to leave." Mystake hobbled good naturedly, exiting past the pile of warriors.

"Who are you?" One of them asked indignantly.

But she was gone into the night before they even managed to get back on their feet.

"You know," she said to her creation, "I really must be loosing my edge, if I end up just calling you Munc. I'd be no better than that man, bless his world-wise, street-stupid heart. What would you like to be called?"

The homunculus looked blankly at the tea cart that they did their business out of and lived in. It was a bit like a rickshaw, with two planks of smoothed wood sticking out of the front for someone to pull it along. They pointed to it.

"'Tea'? You sure?"

Tea shrugged and smiled. Mystaké returned it with a short laugh. Mystaké was almost always chuckling quietly or humming. Tea found the sounds reassuring.

"Alright then. If you think of anything else, just let me know. Come on then, Tea! Gotta get to Jamonicai before their open market starts. You mark my words, one day I'm going to get a small shop tucked into the heart of someplace very busy, so that customers can't find us and we can get on with our business properly."

She picked up the sides of the cart, indicating that the smaller of the two should ride. they protested but she just shook her head.

"Naw, you've done a lot of work dragging about all the materials we might need for that," -nodded towards the monastery- "You should rest up. Just cause I look like a feeble old lady don't mean I _am_ feeble. You should know that better than most." She winked at them. They hesitated then winked back. They were certainly getting better at winking.

She hitched up the cart with her arms and began down the mountain, whistling as she went.


End file.
